The protest in Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla was led by state Congress president Sukhvinder Singh Sukkhu and senior party leaders and ministers.

PTI|

Updated: Dec 14, 2015, 10.44 PM IST

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Five Congress activists sustained injuries while burning an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in front of the deputy commissioner's office in Shimla.

SHIMLA: Five Congress activists sustained injuries while burning an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in front of the deputy commissioner's office here as part of a statewide protest over the National Herald issue.

Five persons were injured, one of them critically, while burning the effigy. The critically injured was rushed to the hospital.

The protest in Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla was led by state Congress president Sukhvinder Singh Sukkhu and senior party leaders and ministers.

Addressing the protesters in front of the state Congress headquarters, Sukhu said the BJP-led NDA government has launched a covert, malicious campaign against the party and senior leaders under its sole agenda "Congress-mukt Bharat" as announced by Modi during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

He said the National Herald case was completely politically motivated and misconceived and a part of "vendetta" politics of the NDA government.

He said the case, filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, was aimed at creating sensation and maligning the Congress leadership.

In order to hide its failure to fulfil the poll promises of bringing back black money, containing price rise and providing employment to the unemployed youth, the Modi-led BJP government was trying to divert the attention of the general public by targeting Congress leadership, Sukhu said.

"But such covert attempts would only further strengthen Congress party's resolve to raise people's issues with every attack by incredulous agents of BJP government," he said, adding that the party respects and has full faith in the judicial system.

Meanwhile, state BJP general secretary Rajiv Bindal and chief spokesperson Ganesh Dutt today accused the state government of adopting double standards in dealing with issue of burning of effigy of leaders.

In a statement here, they said while the police and administration stopped BJP workers from burning an effigy of the Chief Minister and registered cases against them, it remained a mute spectator to burning of effigy of the Prime Minister.

They also demanded a judicial enquiry into the incident, in which five Congress workers received burn injuries while burning the effigy of the Prime Minister.